August 27, 2009

2 Kings 7-9

Elisha foretold that the siege would be lifted by the next day but not everyone believed him. The king’s assistant scoffed at this promise and was warned that he would see the siege lifted but would not live to benefit from it. This came to pass when a stampede of hungry people running out to get food crushed him. Ironically, it was lepers who discovered that the Arameans had fled and alerted the city to their blessing. Ironic in the sense that Aram’s military leader Naaman, the “leper,” had come to Israel to be cleansed.

Hazael killed King Ben-Hadad of Aram as Elisha prophesied he would and then proceeded to take his place.
During this period Edom rebelled against Judah and at the time 2 Kings was written they had not been made subjects again. Elisha anointed Jehu as king of Israel at the command of the Lord and told him to ensure that Ahab’s dynasty was wiped out. Jehu immediately went to Jezreel where he was met by the kings of both Judah and Israel. He shot Jezebel’s son Joram and mortally wounded Ahaziah of Judah. When he arrived at the city he called on the eunuchs to throw Jezebel out of her window which they did. Her body was eaten by dogs before it could be buried, fulfilling Elijah’s words in 1 Kings 21:23.

This was a brutal period in which brutal men and women defied the God of their covenant in continual evil. God was not silent as he spoke through the prophets and made it clear that he was still active in history and would bring judgement.